SRINAGAR: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi visited Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district on Saturday to meet families affected by recent cross-border shelling by Pakistani troops.
This marks Gandhi’s second visit to the Union Territory in a month. He had earlier travelled to Srinagar on April 25 to meet survivors of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 people, mostly tourists.
On Saturday morning, Gandhi landed at Jammu airport and flew to Poonch by helicopter. A Congress spokesperson said he visited damaged structures, including a gurdwara, a temple, a madrassa, and a Christian school, and met bereaved families and members of civil society.
The Poonch region saw heavy shelling after Indian forces carried out Operation Sindoor on May 7.
Congress’ JK unit chief Tariq Hameed Karra said Gandhi was the first national leader to visit the shelling-hit population.
He said the visit was focused exclusively on Poonch, which has borne the brunt of the shelling, resulting in the loss of around 15 civilian lives and significant damage to homes and infrastructure.
“The primary purpose is to share the pain of those who have lost their loved ones and visit the damaged establishments. This is a visit of empathy and solidarity,” Karra said
